Stephanie's Blog

Last week I talked about confronting the facts...the good/bad/ugly in order to gain knowledge, a key ingredient for success.What are you noticing? Are you being kind to yourself in the process? Tell me here.

This week I want to remind you that nothing is wasted. Meaning, when we choose to look at all experience as teachers, we begin to build/strengthen our faith. Maybe we even begin to build/strengthen trust in ourselves...in what we love and then in how we choose to live this love. Yum. Gives me goose bumps writing this. Living what we love!!

In Chapter Two of my book, Reclaiming Joy I introduce the concept of "Powering Up for Joy." This was by far the most intense and challenging chapter for me to write and for many to read as it connects to their story. In this chapter I share the darker times in my life and how kicking and screaming I finally learned how to use the darker moments to empower me toward the light...love...JOY.

What's amazing about choosing to live the concept that nothing is wasted-- is that it's empowering!!! Why?Since we are what we repeatedly think, because thoughts are energy and turn in to actions, concepts that empower us, build our energy. Empowering concepts build the good kind of energy required for us to make manifest our love (aka = to really enjoy life).

Remember, energy is our #1 asset.If we are unaware of what energizes us and also what depletes us, we will end up being unaware and too exhausted to live the life we love.

As I was sharing my darker experiences in Chapter Two of my book, it was from a place of having learned and therefore my experience became a "teaching" story. Meaning, I experienced so much healing once I confronted the facts, I was able to move beyond my "personal story" - the intensely emotional dis-empowering one - to a story that would serve others. Nothing is wasted....

Being able to share our experience as a teaching story happens from a place of emotional balance and therefore clarity. This place is very different than if I had been sharing several years ago when it was still too raw and I didn't see the whole picture. Know what I mean?

Usually when we are in the storm, we are unable to see. At the time of my storm, I still had too much healing to do and it would have been a deeply personal, emotional story that wasn't in service to sharing. Note I am not saying it's bad/wrong to share our intense emotions with people who are willing and able to hold space for us. Sometimes we blow. Having an emotional release for the sake of release is normal and healthy.

However, having an intense emotional release is very different than sharing a past emotionally intense experience from a place of calm with the intention of teaching.The key, as you hear me say often, is to stay the course, weather the storm, ride the waves. Keep engaging in practices like meditation that enable you to observe your experience in a less emotional way. I promise it is from this vantage point that you will begin to move from the personal story to the teaching story. And by the way I am not saying you have to share and teach your story. That's up to you. I will say if you believe nothing is wasted, then you will likely find some way to share your story to help others. It's empowering to do so and keeps you on the path...

This week I encourage you to continue working with confronting the facts and bringing to it this concept of nothing is wasted.As you do, may the words of Geneen Roth (love her & her book, Women, Food and God) remind you to trust-- and then do-- what you love that makes you come alive!!!

"The Voice-induced decisions - those made from shame and force, guilt or deprivation, cannot be trusted. They do not last because they are based on fear of consequences instead of longing for truth. Instead, ask yourself what you love. Without fear of consequences, without force or shame or guilt. What motivates you to be kind, to take care of your body, your spirit, others, the earth? Trust the longing, trust the love that can be translated into action without the threat of punishment. Trust that you will not destroy what matters most. Give yourself that much." -Geneen Roth